As I reflect on this past year between All Saints Days I come away with a feeling of gratitude. As troubling as our politicians can be, as truth seems to be at a premium, as our environment continues to be violated, as more people are being displaced do to violence and ecological concerns, it would be easy to be thankless, to fall into a kind of stifling depression. But, as I look on the names of those who have died I can only be thankful, to be encouraged, to be ignited in my faith!

I want to thank everyone who helped cook and serve the delicious meals at the Winter Shelter at Northlake Lutheran during the month of October. Your work was greatly appreciated by the guests!

﻿Carsten Thode

FLC Congregation President

Men’s Breakfast and Bible Study

Saturday, November 18, 9 – 10:30 am

Come and join other men from the congregation for breakfast and conversation! There will be
food for the body, food for the soul and food for thought!
Gordy Phelps is preparing a delicious breakfast spread. Pastor Berg will lead a discussion about gratitude. Please join us!

Youth Sunday!

Dream Big

November 12

Participants of the ELCA 2017 Western States Youth Gathering will share their stories and lead worship.hort and concise as people tend ot to read much more than a couple of paragraphs.

Roger Steinke's Notes

UPCOMING YOUTH ACTIVITIES:

Saturday, November 4th:OPEN DOOR Ministries Auction

Youth helpers are needed! Please see Sigrun Payne or Tom Payne or Roger for more information.

Youth in Grades 7 - 12 will help prepare and serve a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner to distinguished members of our congregation and community. Set up and cooking begins after Sunday morning education hour. Kevin Kastning is heading up the kitchen crew that will prepare this delicious feast! Help is needed with setting up, cooking, serving and clean up! Please sign up on the youth board!

College Care Package Update

34 College Care Packages were assembled and shipped to First Lutheran Church college students at the end of October. Our students attend schools in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota, Texas, Oklahoma, California, Oregon, Washington and Alberta, Canada! Each Care Package included “Assorted Treats” and “Greeting Cards” which remind our students that they are in our congregation’s thoughts and prayers. Our college students especially enjoy receiving the cards and artwork from our Preschool students, Sunday School students and Youth Group members. Many thanks to the members who made generous donations to the care packages! Your help is appreciated!

Show Us Your Summer award winning photographs will be recognized; all photos submitted will be on exhibit.

The Christian Century Magazine

New to our library is the Christian Century Magazine - Thinking Critically, Living Faithfully. Peter Marty, familiar to us from his many thoughtful writings in Living Lutheran, is now the publisher of Christian Century. Pick up a copy for quick reading before a meeting, or check it out. The articles address current issues pertinent to faith community. The magazine arrives bi-monthly.

125 Years of History First Lutheran Church

A newly edited edition of the history of First Lutheran Church in honor of our 125th anniversary year (2011), Honoring our Past, Building Our Future,are now available in the library. The reprinted anniversary history was compiled and edited by Trudy Eichelsdoerfer, Melanie Veazey, and Beth Phelps. $5.00 donation.

Construction has started on the bell tower! Concrete work will be completed this month!

Social Ministry Update

Thanksgiving Pies for Compass Housing Alliance

It is a tradition at FLC to help provide pumpkin pie and whipped cream for the 400 men and women that reside at the several Compass shelters and homes for their Thanksgiving dinner. We will be collecting donations to buy the pies (as required by health safety laws) during November. If you would like to donate, please make your check or cash donation labeled Thanksgiving pies on your check or envelope.

Thank you, Social Ministry Committee

October Outreach

Money deposited in the Change for Change jar in November will be used to support Hopelink's food bank.

The focus of donations to the Hopelink grocery cart in November will be for holiday food and easy to prepare or heat food including flour, sugar, rice, cereals, peanut butter, condensed milk, pasta sauce, dry beans, canned tomatoes, fruit, oil and tuna.

We have several opportunities for earning money while you shop for FLC's many social ministry programs:

Buy Scrip on Sunday mornings or sign up for Shop with Scrip. Many vendors are available for instant purchase and redemption from your mobile phone in the Shop with Scrip program. No more writing checks; the money is automatically deducted from your checking account using Presto Pay. (The profit margin for scrip is not great enough to support credit card payments.) Scrip returns anywhere from 3 - 12% of your purchases to FLC! You can buy grocery cards, movie tickets, Amazon, even Groupon - the list is great!

Sign up for Amazon Smile and name First Lutheran Church as your charity. Every time you shop with Amazon Smile FLC receive .05% of your purchase price. You can still use Amazon Prime. Get your kids to sign up, too!

Link your Fred Meyer rewards card to their Community Rewards program for First Lutheran Church. All of your purchases will result in a quarterly donation to FLC.

Sign up for Bartell's B Caring Program, and name First Lutheran Church as your charity.

Looking Ahead

Save the date for The Advent Festival! December 3, 3 - 6 pm. If you are interested in participating in this musical event to celebrate Advent and the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ please contact Lloyd Condra 425-765-5164. If you would like to help with prepared and plated food at the reception, please contact Cindy Bannister 425-486-8388. If you are able to help with reception clean up, please contact Cathy Tanner 425-483-9192.

The Women of First Lutheran Church (WFLC) is a local organization of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (WELCA). All women at FLC are considered members of both WFLC and WELCA. You are invited to participate in any of the bible study circles, WFLC sponsored events and/or regional and national events.

Bible Study opportunities available:

Deborah: Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 10:00 am, The Landing at FLC.

Women of the ELCA Gather Magazine bible study.

Contact: Bonnie Ahlstedt 360-805-1743

Hannah: Monday, November 19, 6:30 pm, Fireside Room,

Child care available

Contact: Linda Siebert 425-821-1703.

Rebecca Circle: Wednesday, November 15, 10:00 am in the Landing.

Women of the ELCA Gather Bible Study and articles

Contact: Barbara Thieme 425-898-8982

Quilters: Every Thursday, 9 - 11:30 am

All are welcome, no experience needed! Tasks for any ability. Cutting and ironing can also be done at home.

Contact: Audrey Fisher 425-822-6143

Wednesday, November 8, 2017, 12 pm Veteran's Day Potluck Lunch

We will honor our veterans. Bring any memories and memorabilia you'd like to share. Veterans and current military are all invited. Please bring a dish to share. All are welcome!

Our September shower for Eastside Baby Corner netted 1700 diapers and over 850 items, including baby quilts. If you still have items, especially for winter such as snow pants, gloves, jackets, etc., a box for EBC will be available in the Caring Corner or contact Dawn Bastin at 425-471-8084 or by email. Thank you foe your generosity

NW WA Synodical Women’s Organization of WELCA (SWO) Convention and Gathering met at Trinity Lutheran Oct. 7th with great success. More than 100 attended, celebrated, shared communion and learned how much we Christians have in common with our Muslim and Jewish neighbors. Congratulations to Dawn Bastin for her election as Secretary to the SWO’s Board.

The Lutheran World Federation, which has 145 member churches in 98 countries and over 70 million members, including the ELCA, has produced a document to support the 500th commemoration of the Reformation called: We are liberated by God's grace: Across the world Lutherans are offering God’s grace revealed through Christ to God’s people everywhere.

One of the highlights of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 is the Twelfth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation that will meet in Namibia in May under the theme “Liberated by God’s Grace”.

To read more click on the link above pick up the full article from the news shelf in the narthex.

What if God’s idea of too much was different than ours? Maybe this is the case with abundance. There is a contemporary phase, “Blissed Out!” Presumably this means I have had more good feeling than I can handle and I need to take a break.

Well, what if the message from God here is that we just need to make more room? We can usually eat just one more bite of a great meal, so why can’t we just take one more bite of the love and goodness God offers?

Well maybe we start getting scared that if we take too much it will stop for being greedy. Or maybe we start feeling guilty that we are taking more than our share or that we won’t be looking out carefully enough for dangers and temptations if we are too full.

Maybe God looks at us and says, “Oh you silly humans, you have no idea how much capacity you have for this. Go ahead and drink it in, you won’t explode, honest!”

Maybe the model we should follow is that of a bride. The more she glows the more she glows. She basks in being loved as much as she is and well she should. If you have never felt like a bride in this way, you should really try it.